WatermoreAttendance
Attendance
At Watermore Primary School (WPS), we expect pupils to attend every day that the school is open unless a reason acceptable to the school is given and we are able to authorise the absence.
The school believes that regular attendance and excellent punctuality are the foundations for academic achievement and personal development. They establish a responsible attitude towards the opportunities available at school and underpin the basis for the world of work. Attendance and punctuality are strongly linked to pupil’s well-being and safety. Regular attendance demonstrates a commitment to learning and the school community
At WPS our curriculum is set up so that it builds on prior learning. This is both short term, day to day, and long term between year groups. We do build in some time for revision and repeating, however we can never compensate completely for missing days or weeks. Families can sometimes not realise the cumulative effect of multiple single days off school and it is easy to miss weeks of schooling each year in this way.
Good attendance is not just about academic success. For pupils to feel part of a team they need to be present. Our reward system, Gem Power, supports this. Pupils with regular attendance get the very best out of our offer. They know what is going on and feel connected to their peers.
Timings
8:40am: gates open
8:50am: gates close
Register completed by 8:55 am
8:55 – 9:25am: Children arriving at school during this time will be recorded as present but late
9:25am onwards: although in school, children’s attendance is recorded as unauthorised absence for missing morning session. This is the same for all schools.
Lateness
Pupils who are persistently late miss a significant amount of learning, often the most important aspect, as the beginning of the day is where the teacher explains the learning and what each child is expected to achieve. Where there have been persistent incidents of lateness parents/carers will receive a text message and/or letter advising them of the concerns, a phone call home to discuss and the school attendance team may call an Attendance Improvement Meeting (AIM) to address the issues and provide support. Lateness affects attendance figures for individual pupils and is closely monitored on a daily basis.
Absence from School
If a pupil is prevented from attending school as a result of sickness or other unavoidable cause, it is the responsibility of the parent/guardian to notify the school of the pupil’s absence.
We ask that this should be done as soon as possible after 8.00am on the first day of absence and then on each consecutive day of illness or unavoidable instance.
Telephone number: 01454 511213
Illness
In line with NHS guidance, if your child has had sickness and/or diarhhea, they should remain off from school for 48 hours. If a child vomits or has diarhhea in school, we will contact you to collect them as soon as possible. They will need to remain off from school until 48 hours has passed.
If your child has a temperature of 38 degrees Celsius or more – they should remain home until their temperature is below this point. If children feel unwell in school, we will take their temperature. If their temperature is 38C or more, we will contact you to collect them as as soon as possible. They can return to school when their temperature is below 38C.
If you child has a cough or a cold, they can some into school as long as they do not have a fever. Please read the NHS guidance below for more information on whether to send your child to school.
https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/is-my-child-too-ill-for-school/
Absences due to family bereavement (close relatives only) or for religious observance will be authorised at the Head teacher’s discretion. However, absences for shopping, visiting relatives, day trips, birthdays etc will be classed as unauthorised absence.
If no contact has been received by school regarding the reason for a pupil’s absence by 10.00am, the school will contact parents. No reason for a pupil’s absence will be challenged and recorded as unauthorised. New government guidance states that any child with 10 sessions of unauthorised absence within a 10 week period meets the criteria for penalty notice (see penalty notice guidance in the school attendance policy for more information).
Medical Appointments
We encourage parents not to make medical appointments during school time if possible. Medical appointments taken in school time affect attendance figures for individual pupils as well class groups and the school as a whole. In all instances, we need to see the appointment letter or card for our records.
Requesting absence during term time
Under the new statutory guidance, headteachers can no longer authorise holidays during term time. Headteachers are only able to grant leave of absence from school in exceptional circumstances. Each application for leave of absence will be considered on its own merit. Generally, a need or desire for a holiday or other absence for the purpose of leisure and recreation would not constitute an exceptional circumstance.
If there is a requirement to remove your child from school during term-time, parent’s must apply using the online form system below. This must be done at least 10 working days prior to the absence.
Please see our attendance policy below for more information around request for absence including holidays and information about penalty notice.